Radial arm saws have found widespread application in wood working shops, particularly in home shops, because of their flexibility, accuracy and ease of use. The typical radial arm saw includes a frame that carries an upright column upon which the radial arm is mounted. A saw unit is supported from a carriage suspended below the arm for movement by the operator. The radial arm saw can be bench-mounted, or floor-mounted with the aid of a stand. Saw assemblies of this type generally require considerable floor or bench area on either side during use. Accordingly, radial arm saws have generally not been considered portable or readily transportable from one work site to another, and are not well suited for use in workshops where space is limited.
A radial arm saw design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,504 which is directed at portability and problems associated with ease of transportation. It provides a pivot-type connection between the base of the arm-supporting column and the saw frame to allow the column to be pivoted from its normally upright position to an inoperative lateral position. While the pivoted column arrangement does fulfill its intended purpose, the design does not deal with the question of workshop floor space, or convenient out-of-the way storage of the saw assembly and its subsequent quick deployment to an operational location. Also, because of its light weight and portability, a more skilled operator may be necessary to obtain a consistently high quality work product.